The AFC Champions League (ACL) for 2009 has been revamped and will feature 32 teams in the group stages (preeviously 28), with the prize money increased to US$1.5 million for the winners and US$750,000 for the runners-up.

The first stage comprises eight groups of four teams who will play each other both home and away. Groups A-D feature West Asian and Central Asian teams while Groups E-H is composed of East Asian and ASEAN teams.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the round of sixteen, where the top teams are at home for a straight one-match, knock-out competition.

An open draw will then be conducted for the quarter-finals stage, with a home and away format used until the final, a one-off match in Tokyo.

Mariners coach Lawrie McKinna will attempt to use links between his club and English outfit Sheffield United secure players to bolster his squad for the ACL. McKinna confirmed long-established rumours that one of the players targetted will be Socceroo David Carney.

Jets coach Gary van Egmond hopes to bring in as many as five new players. Too late to save their 2008/09 A-League campaign. The current A-League Champions sit dead-last on the domestic competition ladder, four points behind the nearest rival Perth Glory, with three rounds to play.

Missing out on the A-League finals means van Egmond will be looking for friendly opponents ahead of their first match of the ACL competition on March 11.

LATEST COMMENTS

The new format widens the margin of error, making it easier to qualify for the next phase. However, our clubs also lose the guarantee of 6 points from Vietnamese clubs, or easy home wins over Indonesian clubs.

Mariners' draw is pretty good and progress is possible. Jets won't have a team left by the time it kicks off...

Posted by: David V. on January 8, 2009 11:46 AM

Posted by: David V. on January 8, 2009 11:46 AM

You might be surprised in the coming weeks...watch this space!

The Jets are being written off by most pundits. We will make the final, perhaps even win the whole thing. Can't wait to see the back-peddling from all and sundry.

Blind faith is still faith :)

Posted by: old misty on January 8, 2009 12:29 PM

CCM will battle for 2nd place with Pohang, Kawasaki Frontale to street the field. NJ will miss the top 2 behind the Koreans & Japanese clubs.

Posted by: Brickowski on January 8, 2009 1:40 PM

Not the biggest fan of the changes - I liked seeing the Cypriot team Anorthosis or Cluj from Romania mixing it with the big boys. So I would have liked to have seen the Vietnamese and Malay and Thai teams in there in the group stages, rather than qualifying through. 4 Korean and 4 Japanese teams don't represent the 'Champions', much like Liverpool or Arsenal making it into the UCL is a bit of a farce...

Posted by: Lmacca on January 8, 2009 1:53 PM

I'm very happy with the draw, I was watching it just praying the Mariners weren't put in Groups F or G. March 11 at Bluetongue is going to be a huge night! But first thing first we need to qualify for the 2010 Champions League.

Anyone notice that although the A-League finishes too late for the current Champion and Premier to go straight into the ACL, there's no problem with the play-off matches, which are played on the 25th February?

Posted by: djebella on January 8, 2009 1:55 PM

Posted by: old misty on January 8, 2009 12:29 PM

I have great respect for your views most of the time, but your increasing denialism regarding Newcastle's woes is wearing out already.

Posted by: Lmacca on January 8, 2009 1:53 PM

Lmacca, it is sticks and stones and if you know the intricacies of football on each continent you'd know that.

First, a team like Cluj have the tactical awareness and technical proficiency to really take the game to Roma and Chelsea which they did very well.

Secondly, Asia is still the most unequal football confederation apart from the hopeless Oceania. The competitive cap in Europe, South America and even Africa is much smaller than it is in Asia. You have whole regions of Asia which are either nonentities in football, or still have a long way to go.

Posted by: David V. on January 8, 2009 2:31 PM

Djebella I spotted that as well. I think the FFA should have lobbied hard with the AFC to allow us to have the current minor premiers and premiers qualify straight for the ACL. Then it could be implemented for next year to align with the arrival of the two new teams. As long as they spelt it out well in advance (ie a season or so) than the teams who would have qualified but now don't won't have as much room to argue with the decision.

The Jets are the perfect example. Were a class side last year but have fallen dramatically this season. Old Misty might think they can go the whole way but I personally think they will struggle to win a game as they won't have had any time together to gel as a team. Add to that their usually impeccable defence which will very quickly lose North and Griffths and become a rather makeshift defence. Not only does it make that sides ACL campaign fruitless it also doesn't help the A-League's image on the Asian scale.

Posted by: Wil on January 8, 2009 3:07 PM

Ben Willing: Nikolai Topor-Stanley has signed a 2-year deal with Newcastle Jets. His contract at Perth lasts until June, but he is likely to get an early release to join the Jets in time for their ACL campaign, which starts on March 11.
The best thing as far as Newcastle is concerned is that it seems "Hyphen" has been brought in as a central defender, where he is far more useful than when he's been played as a fullback.

Posted by: Ben Willing on January 8, 2009 3:12 PM

Posted by: Wil on January 8, 2009 3:07 PM

I would hesitate to call anyone in the A-League last season a "class act". You simply had to be the best of a bad bunch to win that league and have a little more luck than the rest.

It's interesting how Sydney and Newcastle had no little luck on their side to win Grand Finals, and have gone downhill since.

The best-run clubs- Adelaide United, Melbourne Victory, Central Coast Mariners- have all finished first even though only Melbourne have won a Grand Final out of those three, and all three have missed the finals. Yet all three clubs have generally steered away from making bad decisions and are just steady come and go.

Posted by: David V. on January 8, 2009 3:15 PM

WOW
Look it at the soccer's
ball,
Ben aside I have to get the roof's jobs but with this weather.
Go The Roar

Posted by: Canuckie on January 8, 2009 4:21 PM

Posted by: David V. on January 8, 2009 3:15 PM

It's not denialism - it's optimism. The Jets can and will perform well in the ACL. We have outplayed Adelaide every game this season (the first being a case of us running all over them until we lost half the team to injury, and again ran all over them in the second match only for the inevitable goal in the last 10 seconds of the game). If we can do that to Adelaide and improve our squad going into the ACL, i can't see why we can't do well. No denial there.

You also talk about luck in the GF. We played all over the Coasties. It's like everyone has forgotten what actually happened in the game and revolve their assessment around one refereeing decision. The fact is (and I can lend you the GF DVD) the Jets were sublime in the GF and outplayed and outthought the mariners. The Jets were not perfect through the year, and your point about the quality of the league last season is taken, but we played some fantastic football (in patches last season) - including the GF.

The Jets have so many in-house (e.g. training ground fights, administration issues, etc) and obvious (injuries, reliance on youth, transfers, etc) problems that to go over them time and time again gets a tad tiresome. Focusing on what can be and is being done seems a much more attractive proposition.

Posted by: old misty on January 8, 2009 4:45 PM

Posted by: old misty on January 8, 2009 4:45 PM

I cannot see a side that's been so badly weakened over the course of two years- remember that the side you had in V2 was a hell of a lot stronger and would have been legitimate ACL contenders had you kept them together- making an impact in the ACL.

Maybe my years of supporting Everton have left me weary, cynical and hard to find positives in a lot of things. But don't blame me for that.

Posted by: David V. on January 8, 2009 5:20 PM

Poor Old Misty, seems it's all just become too much for him so he's retreated to fantasy land.

Posted by: djebella on January 8, 2009 5:24 PM

Posted by: David V. on January 8, 2009 5:20 PM

The 'Everton defence' is a valid one. Optimism only lasts about 4 games a season up there.

Oh, for our V2 team. Widely regarded as playing the most attractive football in the A-League's short history. Carle, Rodriguez, Griffiths, Okon...what a squad! Beautiful football eventually succumbing to pragmatism. Isn't it always the way. Hey djebella, can you ever say that the Mariners played beautiful football? I think not.

When Manso and Larsson arrive in late January, perhaps a few of you doubters will begin to realise that the Jets will rise again.

Posted by: old misty on January 8, 2009 6:22 PM

Posted by: djebella on January 8, 2009 5:24 PM

Here you can see the "carrots and sticks" approach I use with fellow floggers. Which I have to apply more often than ever before.

Posted by: David V. on January 8, 2009 6:54 PM

It's like everyone has forgotten what actually happened in the game
Posted by: old misty on January 8, 2009 4:45 PM

All I can remember is that it was largely forgettable.

gbt

Posted by: Gobouten on January 8, 2009 9:26 PM

Given the prize money on offer, Newcastle and CC have every incentive to perform. $40 000 US for every win the group stage plus an away travel allowance and bigger money for wins as a team moves through. It is good to see that smaller clubs like Newcastle and CC have a chance to become financial.

Posted by: edmundoe on January 8, 2009 11:45 PM

Posted by: old misty on January 8, 2009 6:22 PM

Let me repeat that the Jets will only prosper once Constantine changes the way he runs the club. With the continuous loss of players decline was inevitable, and will continue.

I wonder where Frode Johnsen now that he's left Nagoya- I guess you count yourself lucky not to be facing him in the ACL then ;)

Posted by: David V. on January 9, 2009 10:38 AM

"All I can remember is that it was largely forgettable."

Ah - one t or the two t?
Bloodie Colonial.

Posted by: was that the front's door or the back's door on January 9, 2009 5:10 PM

This time the prize money should ensure that teams who make the ACL come out stronger not only in playing strength but also financially. Eventually the Asian nations will stop funding huge and growing US deficits and put their money where it is important in Asia and the ACL may get even bigger in prize money.

Posted by: edmundoe on January 14, 2009 11:32 AM

I am a bit disturbed that the FFA could be considering a FA style knockout with an Asian spot at stake. Surely winning the Premier's Plate should be the criterion. Are they thinking of relegating the Finals Winner? Surely there would need to be an additional spot in AFC before implementing such a radical proposal.